AMES®, a leading U.S. manufacturer of lawn and garden products, received a Bronze Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) 2014 International Design Excellence Award (IDEA®) in the Design Strategy category for its visual brand language revitalization. The IDEA Awards recognize international design excellence in products, interaction design, service design, strategy, research, concepts and student designs in categories ranging from automobiles and commercial products to medical equipment and home furnishings.

The AMES Companies and Enlisted, a design collective based in Oakland, Calif., collaborated on the AMES brand redesign. Completed in 2013, the redesign was a true ground-up undertaking from graphic design exploration of color, logo and label, to industrial design work identifying materials, ergonomics, and manufacturing innovation. The result of the collaboration was a visual brand language that includes a completely new logo and typeface system, label designs, tool form factors and branded details such as the AMES logo and “Est. 1774” embossed in the steel of every shovel blade and socket. Additionally, the garden tools feature stamped patterns, honey color stained wood handle finishes, and a new color palette. All new labeling reflects the visual brand language and is designed to improve the shopping experience.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious design award alongside an impressive lineup of innovative brands,” said Eric Bernstein, Vice President, Marketing and Product Development. “Through this revitalization, we challenged our team to identify the DNA that defines the AMES brand and turn it into a visual language that is both powerful and unifying for our customers.”

Founded in 1774, the AMES brand is the third oldest in the country, and its tools literally helped build America, playing a prominent role in shaping the infrastructure and foundation of the country for more than 200 years.

A panel of 24 international design experts from design consultancies, corporations and universities judged nearly 2,000 entries this year, ultimately naming 27 Gold, 58 Silver, and 91 Bronze IDEA winners. The jury evaluated entries on aspects of industrial design excellence including: innovation; benefits to the user and client; and sustainability as well as the design’s visual appeal.

About AMES®

Established in 1774, AMES® supplied the tools that built America. AMES continues to provide quality, innovative lawn and garden tools for gardening, landscaping, and lawn maintenance activities. AMES is a brand of The AMES Companies, Inc. The AMES Companies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation (NYSE:GFF), is the leading, as well as the oldest, manufacturer of lawn and garden tools in the U.S. Headquartered in Camp Hill, Pa. (near Harrisburg). The company manufactures and markets a wide variety of long-handled tools, wheelbarrows, carts, hose reels, hoses, snow tools, cutting tools, hand tools, pruning tools, and striking tools as well as outdoor lifestyle product categories such as planters and outdoor accessories. To learn more, visit www.ames.com or find us on Facebook.

About IDEA

Now in its 34th year, the International Design Excellence Awards program (IDEA®) fosters business and public understanding about the impact of design excellence on the quality of life and the economy. The IDEA program is regarded as one of the preeminent design competitions in the nation with its scope and influence reaching far beyond the U.S.

About IDSA

Founded in 1965, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is one of the world’s oldest, largest, member-driven societies for industrial design. IDSA represents current and aspiring professionals in product design, interaction design, human factors, ergonomics, design research, design management, universal design and other related design fields. The society organizes and conducts the renowned international Design Excellence Award (IDEA) competition annually; hosts the International Design Conference and five district conferences each year; and publishes INNOVATION, a quarterly journal on design, including the Yearbook of Design Excellence highlighting the IDEA winners. IDSA’s charitable arm, the Design Foundation, supports the dissemination of undergraduate and graduate scholarships annually to further industrial design education. The organization has more than 3,000 members in 28 professional chapters in the U.S. and members internationally. For more information, visit idsa.org.

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